


Welcoming Committee

by isloremipsumafterall



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-23
Updated: 2014-09-23
Packaged: 2018-02-18 13:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2350655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isloremipsumafterall/pseuds/isloremipsumafterall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fitz gets a new neighbour.</p>
<p>Two weeks later and Trip has officially driven Fitz up a wall. He does in fact understand a lot of what Fitz and Jemma are working on, keeps up with Fitz with a nod of his head and occasionally even interrupts him with the same explanation as he’s babbling on.</p>
<p>It’s infuriating. Fitz wants to kill him. Fitz wants to kiss him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Welcoming Committee

**Author's Note:**

> For the new neighbour au prompt on tumblr

“I think he might be some kind of spy,” Fitz balances the phone as he peers out his blinds into his neighbour’s yard where movers are coming out of the truck with boxes.

There’s a bit of static before Jemma’s voice comes over the phone “Fitz I’m fairly certain the new neighbour is not a spy, I’ve already met him and he seemed quite nice. Skye and I were going to go over to say hello. We were going to bring him a pie, you should come.”

Fitz pauses. “Is Skye baking it?”

He still hasn’t forgotten about the incident with the chipped tooth in the community picnic back in 2010 that involved Skye’s pie. She might be able to cook pretty well but baking always alluded her.

“She’s getting better.”

His response is silence, Jemma sighs. “No, it’s mine.”

Jemma’s pies are great, that’s the only reason he agrees to it. It has nothing to do with catching a glimpse of the new neighbour completing his jog around the neighbourhood and taking off his shirt this morning. Nothing at all.

* * *

 

He says his name is Antoine Triplett as he answers the door and leads them in, people just call him Trip for short.

Fitz snorts, muttering under his breath “Who goes by their last name.”

Skye elbows him, “Don’t be such a hypocrite, _Leopold_.”

He flushes and turns away from Skye to take a look around the room. There’s a treadmill in the corner, bookshelves everywhere but no books unpacked as of yet judging by the boxes set in front of them. The only book in the room is a beat up copy of Moby Dick.

“…so I moved here so I could see them again, didn’t want to break us up.” Fitz jerks at the sound of Trip’s voice, only catching the tail end of the story.

“That’s so sweet of you Trip.” Jemma says, beaming at him. “Isn’t it Fitz?”

He rolls his eyes and nods, not wanting to admit he wasn’t listening. Obviously Trip’s seeing someone, which is no business of his anyway.

“Well, Jemma and I need to be going, but Fitz’ll keep you company for pie I’ll bet.” Skye turns to Trip and winks, “Fitz’ll do anything for food.”

Trip smiles, looks at Fitz, “Good to know.”

That’s how moments later despite his protests he’s sitting in a still packed up kitchen with a beer and a piece of pie alone in his new neighbour’s house.

“So what is it you do?” Trip breaks the silence.

“I’m an engineer down at the SHIELD institute, work alongside Jemma. You?” It’s not like he expects Trip to confirm his theory that this man is a spy or anything, he was mostly joking about that.

Trip leans in close though, with an easy smile, “If I told you I’d have to kill you.” He does a slow glance over Fitz, till he’s meeting his eyes again and it makes Fitz feel like he’s been completely taken apart and analyzed and something was found worth taking, “I don’t want to kill you.”

Fitz swallows the piece of pie in his mouth, takes a swig of beer to wet his suddenly dry throat and steps back laughing awkwardly. “No really.”

Trip shrugs, “Security, I’m the new one at SHIELD institute actually.”

“’Oh.” Fitz says, that makes sense, most people who move into the compound of houses in the area work for SHIELD.

“Guess I’ll be working alongside you then.”

“Most guards prefer to stay on the other side of the door from us.”

Trip shrugs, “I’m curious. I like to learn.”

“You probably won’t understand it.” Fitz doesn’t totally mean to sound cocky there, but its fact. Hardly anyone can keep up with him and Jemma.

“We’ll see.” It sounds like a challenge.

Fitz narrows his eyes. “Yes. We will.”

* * *

 

Two weeks later and Trip has officially driven Fitz up a wall. He does in fact understand a lot of what Fitz and Jemma are working on, keeps up with Fitz with a nod of his head and occasionally even interrupts him with the same explanation as he’s babbling on.

It’s infuriating. Fitz wants to kill him. Fitz wants to kiss him.

He isn’t blind, he noticed Trip was attractive right from day one, but it does take a lot more than that to perk Fitz’s interest, he wants to see someone that has a brain as well. He hates it just a little that Trip fits the package because every time he does consider asking if Trip wants to do something he’s reminded of that conversation the first night at Trip’s house and the knowledge that Trip is dating someone.

It would be easier if Trip didn’t keep inviting him over or making himself at home at Fitz’s place with an easy grin and a home cooked meal in hand. Apparently he takes Skye’s note that Fitz’ll do anything for food to heart because Trip is a great cook.

“You know man, you have got to read more.” Trip comments one night when they’re on his couch, resting after the chicken lasagna he’d brought over and watching reruns of Star Trek.

Fitz rolls his eyes, ever since Trip has found out that he never read Moby Dick he’s been after Fitz, like Fitz has never read a book in his life. Or as Trip phrases it ‘never read a classic.’ He leant Fitz his copy, telling him to be careful with it, apparently it was his grandfathers that he read through the war and passed down to Trip. It’s sitting on the bedside table making Fitz feel guilty every time he sees it as he turns off the light, but he also doesn’t want to read it too quickly and give Trip the victory.

Even if it would make Trip smile enough to light up the room. He hates that he wants to see that.

“We don’t all care about nefarious sea creatures.”

“You own a copy of Creature of the Black Lagoon. And you know it’s not about the fact that he’s a sea creature.”

“How can I forget with you reminding me so often?”

“Just don’t want it to slips through the cracks of that mad brain of yours.” Trip raps a knuckle against Fitz’s head. The action brings him closer to Fitz on the couch and he doesn’t move when he drops his arm.

Fitz lets out an indignant noise, “I don’t forget anything.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s your keys then?”

“That was one time Trip. Once.” He had left his keys at his place when he’d gone over to Trip’s but had let the door shut locked behind him and when he had gone home that night he got to the door and panicked that he couldn’t find his keys and had gone back to Trip’s worried and convinced he’d left them there. Trip had calmed him down and then broken into Fitz’s home to see the keys lying on the table next to the door. Then he started laughing.

Fitz hit him on the arm. He’s pretty sure he hurt his hand more than he hurt Trip judging by the fact that Trip had just laughed harder.

“That I know of,” Trip shoots back. “Could be that you’re lying to us all about things you happen to forget and could never know.”

“Okay that doesn’t even make sense.”

“Does too.”

“Does _not_ Trip.”  
“I know I’m right.”

Rightly infuriating Fitz thinks.

* * *

 

“So are you sleeping with him yet?” Skye asks innocently, making Fitz choke on the muffin she’s brought over.

Fitz coughs and stares at Skye incredulously when done, “What?”

“Trip. You and him, you’ve been flirting for weeks now. You’re ruining the bet I have going on with Jemma if you aren’t jumping his bones yet. Or within the next week.”

“Skye he’s _dating_ someone.”

“What are you talking about?” It’s her turn to look confused now. “Trip’s as single as they come. And he’s interested in you. It’s a win win.”

“No he’s not, he brought up someone that first night we went over.”

“Wait, backup. No he didn’t.”

“He did.” Fitz insisted, “He said he came here to be with them again, didn’t want to break up.”

“Oh man you have got to start paying attention to people when they talk. Okay. Listen to my words now. All of them, actually listen to me always because I always have fabulous things to say.”

“ _Skye_.”

“Okay okay, if you had heard properly Trip said that his cousin moved here and he followed because they’re the only two of the family left and he didn’t want to break that up.”

Fitz is quiet for a bit and then he stands up. “Excuse me.”

He walks out the door ignoring Skye’s yell to tell him when he’s done the deed so she can win the bet.

* * *

 

Trip is in his living room when Fitz barges in to the house using the key that Trip gave him.

“Have we been flirting?”

Trip raises an eyebrow in surprise, “I didn’t think you were that oblivious.”

“Oh shush. You don’t have a boyfriend?”

“You want me to answer that or shush?”

Fitz’s eye twitches. Why he is attracted to this maddening man in front of him he may never know. “Answer.”

“Nope.” Trip steps closer. “Don’t have anyone that I moved here for so as not to break us up dating wise.”

“So we could be sleeping together.”

“You really that easy?”

“We’ve been flirting for weeks now. I’ve got a build up.” Fitz retorts.

“You’ve got a build up? You didn’t even know, how do you think I feel?”

Fitz crosses his arms. “Could have done something.”

“Nah,” Trip’s teeth flash as he smiles, “Wanted to see what’d you do when you figured it out.”

“Hunh.” Fitz says, and then to stop whatever annoying reply Trip would say next he grabs Trip’s shirt collar and pulls him down for a sound kiss.

He pulls away when a thought occurs to him, “Hold up, how did you know that I thought you moved here so as not to break up with someone dating wise?”

“I could tell you,” There’s the slow grin that drives Fitz insane. “But then I’d have to kill you.”

Trip steps back and starts walking towards where his bedroom is, pulling off his shirt along the way and shooting a look back at Fitz. “You coming?”

Fitz follows after. The spy theory can be looked at later.


End file.
